More and more schools are temporarily turning to remote teaching in the midst of the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. Several university in my region (upper Midwest, USA) have already made the switch, or are planning to do so. My son's high school will be spending today talking about eLarning.
I wanted to take a moment and share my experience remote teaching for graduate architecture students at NDSU in today's post.
Keep reading to learn more...
For the past six years I have taught a live class from a 4.5 hour drive away from NDSU. I currently teach a graduate level architecture class, which covers all things BIM, like energy modeling, lighting analysis and the ins and outs of Revit. For the first two years I also taught for NDSU's interior design program as well.
For the architecture class (photo below), which is in an off-campus building in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, they do not have the same tech so we use Zoom to host the video conference/class.
In all cases, I can see the students and they can see me and my screen. They can even raise their hand and ask a question. All files, i.e assignments, are saved to cloud storage; e.g. Google Drive, Drop Box, etc.
When a student gets stuck, we are able to do a screen share... just like we do in the office all the time these days, and work through their issue; which works best if they have a headset.
By the way, for the first class of the semester I do show up in-person to get things off to a good start... as shown below. Yes, that is Enscape on the screen:)
I have had some amazing student feedback over the years! So it can work.
In my case, this 'group effort' includes the amazing tech folks at NDSU, like Ben Bernard and Daniel Erichsen.
Please share your experience or other helpful links in the comments below!
Related links:
For BIM Chapters updates, follow @DanStine_MN on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn
Check out my video-based courses on ArchSmarter.
I also write blog posts for Enscape - a new paradigm in rendering, animation and VR for AEC.
I wanted to take a moment and share my experience remote teaching for graduate architecture students at NDSU in today's post.
Keep reading to learn more...
For the past six years I have taught a live class from a 4.5 hour drive away from NDSU. I currently teach a graduate level architecture class, which covers all things BIM, like energy modeling, lighting analysis and the ins and outs of Revit. For the first two years I also taught for NDSU's interior design program as well.
Remote Instructor
This is not an "online class" as all the students are in the classroom. In the photos above, the interior design students are in an ITV Classroom (aka IVN) that is able to connect to LHB's video conference equipment... as you can see me on one of the many monitors in the room.For the architecture class (photo below), which is in an off-campus building in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, they do not have the same tech so we use Zoom to host the video conference/class.
FYI: Zoom is currently free for k-12 schools: click here for more info on that.
In all cases, I can see the students and they can see me and my screen. They can even raise their hand and ask a question. All files, i.e assignments, are saved to cloud storage; e.g. Google Drive, Drop Box, etc.
When a student gets stuck, we are able to do a screen share... just like we do in the office all the time these days, and work through their issue; which works best if they have a headset.
By the way, for the first class of the semester I do show up in-person to get things off to a good start... as shown below. Yes, that is Enscape on the screen:)
Remote Everyone
This same process can easily work with all students sitting at home. In fact, in some cases I have given the Zoom link out to students who could not be in the classroom and they have participated remotely, even asking questions. On a related note, I did an energy modeling presentation at LHB a few years ago, and a staff member who was somewhere in Africa for an extended period of time connected remotely and also asked questions.Keep Things Live!
I highly recommend normal class times are kept and students are required to connect and participate for full credit. We all have so many things competing for our time these days...Group Effort
Remote teaching can be successful... but it is a group effort. This needs to be stressed, in a motivational way, to everyone involved. If everyone works to make the process work, then students will have a positive experience and will have learned the course material.I have had some amazing student feedback over the years! So it can work.
In my case, this 'group effort' includes the amazing tech folks at NDSU, like Ben Bernard and Daniel Erichsen.
Please share your experience or other helpful links in the comments below!
Related links:
- University of Washington info on teaching remotely: http://www.be.washington.edu/covid-19-information/
- Free Snagit: https://discover.techsmith.com/remote-techsmith/
- Free Autodesk software for students: https://bimchapters.blogspot.com/2018/01/student-access-to-autodesk-software-for.html
For BIM Chapters updates, follow @DanStine_MN on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn
Check out my video-based courses on ArchSmarter.
I also write blog posts for Enscape - a new paradigm in rendering, animation and VR for AEC.
